The hypoxia or “dead” zone in the Gulf of Mexico has been back in the news as scientists report this year’s area will be smaller but still a major issue for aquatic organisms in the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. States like Iowa are encouraging farmers to restore wetlands to reduce nutrient runoff and help shrink this hypoxia zone.

Learn how hypoxia zones form and the effects it has on aquatic organisms and other animal life, along with ways to reduce nutrients from creating these “dead” areas. Get out to the Agroecology Summit on Aug. 21, and check out Moonstone Farm, or paddle the Pomme de Terre River.

Water: Hypoxia
Defined as low oxygen, hypoxia is usually measured as the concentration of less than 2 to 3 milligrams oxygen per liter of water. Hypoxia or “dead” (refers to the risk of death for many organisms living in these areas) zones are found all over the world, usually in coastal waters, and have been increasing in both numbers and sizes.

One the largest is found in the Gulf of Mexico, the result of excessive levels of nutrients flowing off of the landscape from farms and cities in the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River watersheds.

Excessive nutrients, in particular nitrogen, stimulates the growth of algae that can result in blooms. When the bloom of algae dies off, it consumes vital oxygen from the water and can kill fish and other aquatic organisms. Even though hypoxia is primarily found in estuaries and coastal waters, it can also be a problem in freshwater lakes.

Did you know: What are the effects of hypoxia?
The lack of oxygen in the hypoxia zone has a direct effect on the fishery by either pushing adult fish out the area or results in a fish kill. All aquatic animals need oxygen to survive, including mussels and clams which can’t move out of a “dead” zone. Birds like herons and animals like otters that eat fish also suffer.

The Ecological Society of America reports these areas may also be more susceptible to overfishing, pest outbreaks, storm damage or other stresses. Finally, pollutants stored in the sediments can be released when there are chemical reactions between hypoxic water and bottom sediments causing additional polluting of the ecosystem.

Water science: How old is water?
How old is the water you are drinking?

Water formed on our planet millions of years ago and continues to be recycled as it moves through the hydrologic or water cycle. The water you are drinking could have been used by the dinosaurs or by your great, great, great-grandfather.

Water molecules are constantly on the move because of the earth’s wind currents and climate changes. Imagine how the rain that fell across the eastern seaboard of the United States could end up falling later in the form of snow in the Alps and remain part of a glacier for a hundred years or more. Water has been in constant motion since it formed on the earth with practically the same amount as it is used over and over again.

For more information, log on to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

What you can do: Protecting waters from hypoxia
According to the Ecological Society of America, there are a number of things we can do to reduce or eliminate hypoxia zones from forming in our waters.


• Minimize use of fertilizers and manage them properly.

Excess fertilizer washes off lawns and farms into streams and eventually rivers, where is travels to the ocean. It can also volatize from fields or manure lagoons into the atmosphere and be redeposited where it can wash into waterways.


• Remove nutrients from wastewater and urban runoff before they are discharged.

These sources contribute large amounts of nutrients to areas at risk for hypoxia.


• Reduce the amount of electricity use and number of miles driven.

Power generation, either in an electrical power plant or in a car, generates nitrogen oxides. NOx are transformed into nitrates in the air and deposited throughout the country, especially east of the Mississippi River.


• Practice clean boating.

This includes choosing boat engines that produce the smallest amount of NOx and using pumpout stations at marinas rather than discharging raw sewage into the water.


• Preserve land adjoining rivers and streams.

This land, often called a riparian buffer, can play a vital role in preventing nutrients that wash off fields and streets from reaching the rivers and coasts. Preserving wetlands also helps keep nutrients out of rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.

For more information, download a PDF file at www.esa.org/education_diversity/pdfDocs/hypoxia.pdf.

Natural resource: Riparian areas
Riparian areas or zones are also called the floodplain and part of a natural river’s ecosystem.

This area is typically defined as wide as the river annually or periodically floods. Normally you would find a diverse selection of trees, shrubs, grasses, cattails and other plant species. Unfortunately, many of these riparian areas have been plowed up to be planted into crops like corn and soybeans or developed for housing and other structures.

In addition to helping improve water quality, riparian areas support other benefits ranging from flood protection, providing habitat for wildlife and migrating birds, along with aesthetic values.

For more information, log on to www.nrcs.usda.gov/FEATURE/buffers.

Community event: Agroecology Summit
On Aug. 21 starting at 8 a.m., a full day of activities will demonstrate the advantages of adding conservation practices to conventional agriculture at Willow Lake Farm near Windom.

Willow Lake Farm features native grasses, wetlands, ponds and waterways — a perfect spot for the annual Agroecology Summit. Presentation topics during the event will include the geologic history of southwestern Minnesota, lake sediment cores dated and analyzed, wood chip bioreactors, controlled drainage and water quality. The event is free to the public with registration required. Please register by e-mailing Tony Thompson at salix@rconnect.com. An e-mail packet will be returned to registrants directions and other summit-related materials.

For other events in the Minnesota River Watershed, log on to http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/calendar/index.html.

Organization profile: Moonstone Farm
One of the best places to get away from it all in the Minnesota River Basin is Moonstone Farm of rural Montevideo.

Moonstone Farm has been in the Handeen Family since 1872 and now the fourth generation is raising river-friendly meats on 100 percent grass and hay without pesticides, antibiotics, hormones or genetic engineering.

Richard Handeen and Audrey Arner are committed to protecting both the land and water around them along with the wildlife and plant life. The 240 acres is a great place to spend the night in the Broodio (a one-room cottage and former brooder house), take a swim in the farm pond or go for a walk in the vineyard. Go shopping at the farm store (carriage house) for items like Kalliroe pork, award-winning Pastureland cheeses and butter, books and hand-thrown Handeen pottery.

For more information, log on to www.prairiefare.com/moonstone/index.html.

Recreational opportunity: Paddling the Pomme de Terre River
The Pomme de Terre River flows out of the steeply sloped Alexandria Glacial Moraine from the Stalker and Long lakes on a southern route to Marsh Lake and the Minnesota River.

This prairie river meanders through wooded hills and grassy meadows along with numerous lakes. "Pomme de Terre" means potato in French, with early explorers naming it after the prairie turnip or “a potato like food of the Dakota Indians.” As an official Minnesota Water Trail, you can start out at a wayside park on Highway 12 to paddle almost five miles to Larson Landing on County Road 36. On this stretch of the river expect to find a tree or two across the channel as the river winds its way through a forested section before breaking out into the wide open prairie. Continue on for a total of 10.6 miles to Appleton City Park as the Pomme de Terre passes through both wooded and open areas.

In Appleton you will find a place to camp, eat and enjoy three short, easy Class I rapids put in by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources after the removal of a lowhead dam.

For more information, log on to www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/index.html.